Much in the same way that playing professional sports can be over-romanticized, so can being a professional marketer. Similar to the life of a major leaguer not always being about grand slams and perfect games, my role as a marketing director isn’t always about placing giant billboards in Times Square or running commercials during the Super Bowl (although I have done that 😉). An average major leaguer is typically more focused on doing the little things right like not making an error or laying down a sacrifice bunt. As a marketer for a university, I also take the low key approach of mastering the fundamentals and doing my best to be strategic as our marketing efforts are pushed in less prominent but more targeted placements.

However, just like any average MLB player will have his day in the sun to show off, that opportunity is also afforded to your typical marketing director as well.

And let me tell you, I am pretty proud of what I get to currently show off in downtown Spokane…

Our marketing team recently worked hard to take over the south and north entrances at River Park Square. This photo shows the south side from across the street.

Last week our EWU brand showcase was installed on Spokane’s signature shopping center and entertainment complex. River Park Square is a gorgeous building that attracts people from across the region looking to shop at high end stores, catch a movie, dine at one of its many restaurants, or just hang out in a brightly-lit energetic space. Located smack-dab in downtown Spokane flanking the streets of Spokane Falls Blvd. and Main, it holds the same iconic notoriety and prestige as Riverfront Park.

Thanks to the talents of our EWU marketing team, we created an engaging design that incorporates our students, current branding, and recent honors.

It also has some very impactful and attractive advertising space.

I have said before that at EWU we have a digital-first mindset when it comes to our marketing strategy. However, we will always invest in powerful out-of-home opportunities that are impactful and help us reach key audiences. With this philosophy in mind, we took over River Park Square’s north and south main entrances with Eagle Red!

A look at the left side of the south entrance. We used one of our nursing students or this portion.

With a lot of real estate available via the building’s gorgeous glass windows, we designed a concept that utilized bold visuals of our students, key storytelling concepts of our region’s polytechnic brand positioning, and our most recent slate of honors/awards. With the brilliant photography of Chris Thompson combined with the thoughtful design work of Ryan Gaard, we created something that looked great on paper and even better when it was installed on River Park Square itself.

We used a biology student to fill the right hand side of the south entrance,

The combination of student photos, our brand promise, and recent awards packs a strong message in a high-traffic area. Our timing is strategic with June and July very busy months in downtown Spokane. Later this month, hundreds of thousands of people—many of them prospective students and their parents—will flock to the streets for Hoopfest. EWU will be ready for them.

We also took over the north entrance as well. Although we didn’t have as much real estate as the south side, we still made the space count. We used a dental hygiene student for this placement.

And we are ready for you, too. If you do live in the Inland Northwest region, you have about three weeks to see it. Our advertising will run through July 8.

A look from the right side of the EWU River Park Square north entrance placement.

This latest activation by my marketing team was met with pride from Eag Nation and admiration from counterparts and competitors at other higher ed institutions. Of course, none of it would be possible without the confidence and funding from President Shari McMahan. What an opportunity she has given us! As we continue to tell EWU’s story in the most effective way possible, we are committed and driven to prove that President McMahan’s investment in marketing is just what our institution needs. Don’t Blink.